The Grapes of Passion

The Grapes of Passion

When you open a bottle of wine, you shouldn’t make any sound. Silent. Like a floating cloud. Or a ninja. Hold the bottle at the bottom and pour, remembering not to overfill the glass. Less than half full should do it, so the wine has space to breathe. Hold your glass by the stem or base. Clink glasses with your companions, tapping the bell-shaped part of one glass against another. It’ll make a clear and satisfying sound. If you’re using good quality glasses. Now, angle your nose into the glass and breathe the wine in. Smell it, taste it through your nose. Think about it. Now, and only now, should you drink. Or, you could do what these people have done. Get together with a couple of friends, find a bench, rip your clothes off and enjoy the wine straight from a jug. So, drink with studied calm, or wild abandon. Either way is perfect. Because wine should be enjoyed on your own terms. Let yourself enjoy it in the way you want to enjoy it. This bronze sculpture by Czech-Canadian artist Lea Vivot was commissioned by the Magnotta Winery in Ontario, Canada, back in 1999. Beneath it are inscribed the words Bronze is the mirror of the form. Wine is the mirror of the heart. And perhaps a lot of wine is consumed at the InterContinental Hotel in Prague, because a copy of the sculpture sits by its entrance. Bottoms up!